Luke 21:5-24 Signs of the Times Parkdale Grace Fellowship Sunday AM, September 11, 2016 Anyone who is even casually following the world events taking place on the news has to notice that there are dramatic changes taking place in the world, things are changing fast, and many of the changes are not creating a better world, but a more dangerous world. What is happening? What do these things mean? What is the future going to look like? There is only one place that has the answers to these questions, because there is only One being who knows the future, and He has told His children about it and has warned us of what to expect and how to prepare. It is important that we are able to give truthful, wise, biblically informed answers to those all around us who are asking What is going on in the world? Luke 21:5-6, Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, These things which you see the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down. The Temple in Jerusalem had been built by Zerubbabel about 400 years earlier when the Jews were released from their captivity in Babylon and returned to Israel. Then 46 years before this point in Jesus life King Herod the Great had begun a major renovation of the Temple compound in which he added on and greatly expanded the Temple. The renovation was not complete yet, in fact it was such a massive project that it would continue for another 30 years, not being completed until about A.D. 63. This renovation project was considered one of the great wonders of the Roman Empire. From a distance it looked like a snow clad mountain of gold because much of its exterior was plated with gold and what was not overlaid with gold was pure white. King Herod had been a master builder and he wanted this Temple to outlast the Egyptian pyramids. So he had used massive stones in the construction, some of them almost the size of railroad box cars. (Kent Hughes, p. 296) The entire project took about 76 years to complete, however, just seven years after the construction was finished the Temple was completely destroyed by the Romans when Titus conquered Jerusalem to end a Jewish revolt against Roman rule. There is no man made security or stability or permanence in the world.
2 In exact fulfillment of Jesus prophecy that not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down, the Romans had set the Temple on fire and it burned so hot that much of the gold had melted into the cracks and seams between the stones. So in order to plunder all of the gold from the Temple the Roman soldiers literally tore apart every stone to get the gold out of every crevice. (Ibid) This was the first of many prophecies which Jesus makes in this chapter, some of them have already come to pass and others are yet future. The ones which have already come to pass, like this first one were all fulfilled literally and exactly. Why is it important to notice that they were fulfilled literally and exactly? Because many of the prophesies of this chapter are still future and many skeptical people do not believe that they will be fulfilled literally or exactly but that they are only symbolic or metaphorical in nature. But there is no reason to believe that the, yet-future, prophesies will not also be fulfilled just as precisely as the already past ones were. Luke 21:7, So they asked Him, saying, Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place? This chapter is one of the most difficult chapters in the book of Luke to understand. However Matthew and Mark have both recorded this same conversation in each of their gospels, and though most of the information is the same in each account, each of them shares with us a little bit of information that isn t included in the others. Therefore it is helpful in getting a more complete picture if you study Luke chapter 21 alongside of Matthew and Mark s account. The Bible is always the best commentary on the Bible and God has sprinkled His truth throughout the Bible you cannot find the complete message contained in one place but have to read it all to get the full message. Two questions are asked by the disciples, and if you look at Matthew s account you will find that there was actually a third question which only Matthew records, but the answer to it is included in all three gospels: 1. When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What sign will there be when these things are about to take place? 3. What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3) In Jewish theology of that day, the rabbis taught that there were two ages: this present age, in which we now live; and the age to come, the Messianic Age (we refer to this as the Millennial Kingdom the thousand year rule of the Messiah on earth).
3 They believed that this age would end when the Messiah came to earth to judge the nations and to set up His kingdom and rule the world. So the signs of the end of this age would also be the signs of the soon coming of Christ to rule the world. Rather than immediately answering their questions, Jesus first gave some general characteristics of this present age. These were signs that all of His followers could expect to see as a normal course of human history and not signs of anything significant. Luke 21:8-9, And He said: Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, I am He, and, The time has drawn near. Therefore do not go after them. 9 But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. First of all Jesus warned His followers not to be deceived by the many false Christs who would come in His name claiming to be the Messiah. From the time of Jesus until today a great number of people and spirit influences have claimed to be the Messiah, and they have over the centuries led many people astray. But these are NOT prophetic signs of the end of this present age or of Christ s return. The second general characteristic He said would NOT be signs of the end would be wars and commotions (verse 9), or wars and rumors of wars in some translations. Even the many wars and fighting in the Middle East are not of themselves signs of the end of the age. Jesus said these things must come to pass but the end will not come immediately these are not signs of the end. But then in verses 10 and 11 Jesus does give us prophetic signs of the end. Luke 21:10-11, Then He said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. Luke doesn t specifically tell us that these are signs of the end but Matthew and Mark both do. Mark, quoting the same signs in Mark 13:8 says, These are the beginnings of sorrows [ESV birth pains]. Matthew cites the same signs in Matthew 24:7-8 and says that, All these are the beginning of sorrows [ESV birth pains]. Birth pains refers to the series of painful contractions that a woman experiences in the final hours and minutes before giving birth to a baby.
4 In Bible prophecy the world is pictured as going through a series of painful crisis and events which will become both increasingly more intense and more frequent, like birth pains, as we draw close to the end of this age and the return of Christ to judge and to rule the earth. So Jesus has said in verse nine that wars and rumors of wars were not a sign of the end of this age, but Matthew and Mark both tell us that the signs He gives in verses 10-11 are the beginning signs that the end of the age and the return of Christ is coming soon. What is described in verses 10 and 11 is the same as the opening of the first six seals that were prophesied by the Apostle John in Revelation chapter six. These are the events that will be common and widespread during the first three and a half years of the tribulation. However, there is growing evidence that these birth pains described in verses 10 and 11 are already beginning to taking place at a mild level before the full blown labor of the seven years of Tribulation hits. The expression, Nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, is a Jewish idiom which means more than just wars, but it refers to a total widespread conflict. The context of the signs being described here seems to be, not local events, but global. Therefore this idiom, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom, is believed to describe a global scale conflict, or a world war. (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, p.94-95) The first time that such a worldwide conflict of nations and kingdoms was in the years 1914-1918 with World War I shortly later followed by World War II. Both world wars had a tremendous impact on Jewish history and led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, which is itself the single greatest fulfilment of end-times prophecy, though it was not mentioned in Luke s gospel. It is believed that these two world wars may have been the beginning of what Jesus prophesied and that they signaled the beginning of the last days birth pains. If those two world wars were just the beginning of the labor pains it is terrifying to think of what lies ahead for this world as it enters into full blown labor. But what about the prophesied, great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences and the fearful sights and great signs from heaven? The earthquake factor is interesting. In the first 1900 years since the time of Christ major earthquakes though not easily measured or well documented seem to have been relatively rare. But since 1900 there has been a great increase of major earthquake activity. Between 1900 and 1999 there have been 30 major earthquakes which have each killed between 10,000 and 200,000 people. (Fruchtenbaum, p. 96)
5 And we are all aware that there are large fault lines running through major population centers all over the world that are in place and ready to bring about widespread destruction. Its just a matter of timing. The stage is set and ready for the Tribulation events to unfold. When we look at some of the worst famines in recorded history it is interesting to notice that some of the worst ones took place within a few years of the two world wars. In 1920, shortly after World War I, the Great Chinese Famine occurred killing 43 million, the worst famine in recorded history. Shortly before that the Chinese famine of 1907 killed 25 million. The Soviet famine of 1932-33 killed 10 million. The Bengal famine of 1943 killed 7 million. The Great Russian Famine in 1921 killed 5 million. The Vietnamese famine of 1945 killed 2 million. More recently the North Korean famine of 1994-98 killed an estimated 3 million and with current political sanctions increasing against North Korea in an attempt to halt their development of nuclear weapons they could be facing another famine in the months ahead. (http://listverse.com/2013/04/10/10-terrible-famines-in-history/) Pestilence has not been very common. A pestilence is a destructive, infectious and rapidly spreading disease. During the World War I years of 1918-1919, a pestilence killed 23 million people. And though the years since then have not been characterized by pestilence there is certainly growing concern about the possibility of widespread pestilence through germ warfare or an outbreak of superbugs at a time when antibiotics are rapidly losing their effectiveness. And with so much world-wide travel as is common today a pestilence outbreak could spread globally and very quickly. Again we see that the stage is set and ready for the events of the Tribulation. Having given a brief prophetic description of some of the signs that would indicate that the end of the age is drawing near, Jesus now turns back to prophetically describe the immediate future that His disciples would be facing here in this present age in which we still live. Luke 21:12, But before all these things [before the beginning of birth pains before the signs that the end of the age has begun], they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name s sake.
6 Jesus is not talking about the distant future or the end of the age, He is talking about what the followers of Christ can expect to experience in the period of time between the first and second coming of Christ. Jesus tells His followers that they will be persecuted by the Jewish rulers in their synagogues and by the gentile kings and rulers. This means that the governments of the world would oppose the Christian faith Christianity would be illegal and believers would be put on trial for their faith. All we have to do is read the book of Acts in the Bible, and read church history, and look at what is happening to followers of Christ today in many parts of the world and we realize that this prophecy of Jesus was true and has been the common experience of much of the church down through the ages. Those prophesies of Christ which have already been fulfilled have been fulfilled literally and precisely with accuracy in every detail. Therefore, there is no reason to think that the remaining prophesies will not also be fulfilled literally and in detail. Luke 21:13-15, But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. As we move on in Luke chapter 21 Jesus further describes the intense personal hatred that His followers should expect to face because of their relationship with Him. Luke 21:16-17, You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all for My name s sake. Again, notice that the prophecies that have already been fulfilled have been fulfilled very literally and in great detail. These verses describe with painful accuracy the experience of many followers of Jesus down through the centuries of history. And they describe what we can expect to be the experience of Christians here in Canada and the U.S. in the days to come. Luke 21:18-19, But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls. What does Jesus mean by this statement when He has just said in verse 16 that some of His followers would be put to death for their faith, and yet not a hair of your head shall be lost? The meaning is similar to what Jesus was saying in Luke 9:23-24, Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
7 The Bible tells us in Philippians 1:21, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. When the child of God dies, the day is coming that our bodies will be resurrected from the grave and they will be whole, complete, glorified and better than before. A kingdom principle is that any sacrifice that we make here on earth for the sake of Christ and the gospel is preserved for us in heaven. (Matt. 6:19-20) Luke 21:20, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Now Jesus is answering His disciples question from verse 7 about when the Temple would be destroyed and what would be the sign that it is about to take place. The sign that the Temple is about to be destroyed is when the city is surrounded by armies. When that happens, Jesus warns that the people are to flee away as fast as possible. They were to heed this prophetic warning and take action. We today are seeing many prophetic warnings take place that indicate judgment is coming. We too must take action. Luke 21:21-24, Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This prophetic warning was taken seriously by the Christian followers of Jesus. There was a large church in Jerusalem during the early history of the church following the resurrection of Christ. We read much about them in the book of Acts and the epistles of Paul. In the year A.D. 66, the first Jewish revolt broke out against the Romans. When the revolt first began, the Roman general in the land, Cestus Gallus, came with his armies from Caesarea and surrounded Jerusalem. The surrounding of the city marked the sign that Jesus had promised, and the Jewish believers knew that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed. Jesus had commanded the Jewish believers to desert the city when they saw this happening. Every Jewish Christian fled from the city, crossed the Jordan River and set up a new community of Jewish believers in the town of Pella on the east side of the Jordan. There they waited for the prophecy of Jesus to be fulfilled.
8 Copyright 2016 by Parkdale Grace Fellowship Permission: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Cestus Gallus withdrew his troops from Jerusalem and it seemed that Jesus prophecy had been wrong, but part of His warning was that once that sign had come those who are in the country were not to return and enter the city. And sure enough, without warning, in A.D. 68, a new Roman general by the name of Vespasian and his son, Titus, again besieged the city, and this time no one could escape. The city remained under siege for two years and most of the population of Jerusalem starved to death before the Romans broke through the city walls in A.D. 70 and slaughtered many more with the remaining few being led away captive. The city and the Temple were destroyed. Altogether, 1,100,000 Jews were killed in this siege (according to the Jewish historian Josephus who has a tendency to exaggerate his figures, regardless though the slaughter was great), but not one Jewish Christian died because they obeyed the prophetic warning of Jesus. (Fruchtenbaum, p. 630; Hughes, p. 301) How seriously should we then take the Lord s prophetic warnings about the days in which we are living? We need to carefully study the prophetic signs so that we can tell the difference between what the Bible actually teaches and what the false prophets and false teachers are saying for there are many false teachers, especially it seems when it comes to prophecy. Always check their message with scripture, and read it in its context, because false teachers use the Bible, but they twist its meaning and use it out of context. We need to get to know our Bibles and we need to trust our Bibles. And we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and follow Him faithfully that is our greatest security, to follow Christ constantly. He will not lead you astray. Many emergent church leaders are telling their followers that they don t need the Bible, saying it is too controversial. They say all you need to do is follow Jesus. Well that is foolish, and satanic advice because we can only get to know Jesus through the scriptures and His primary way of leading us is through the word of God recorded in the Bible.
9 Quickly look back at Jesus first words in response to His disciples questions about the signs of the last days: Luke 21:8, Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, I am He These many who will come in Jesus name include invisible demonic beings who will give all kinds of mystical experiences, thoughts and communications to naïve followers of emergent church leaders who are seeking to be guided without the Bible by some mystical Jesus. In these days of so much deception and false teaching we need to get into this book and learn it like never before. Our lives depend upon it. If you don t know Jesus it is absolutely imperative that you put your trust in Him to save you from the coming judgment.